Quest for the Rest

Quest for the Rest is a great little browser game that lends itself for one language class and that I’ve been using for quite some time now, so I thought I’d share my thoughts. The game free and easily accessible here without any downloads.

There is no text in this brief adventure game. Instead, players click on different parts of the scene to make certain things happen. For example, if you click on the buds on the cactus, they will start to blossom and eventually fall off. No language? Where’s the practice in that? Well, as with most games for learning, it’s the activities, the scaffolding, and the debriefing that are crucial. Students discuss strategies, negotiate meaning, and write down their progress as they advance in the adventure.

We’ve had some great sessions with intermediate writing courses. I walked around the language center to help students with the narrative they were producing and with the game itself in case they got stuck. The session definitely needs some preparation, and the instructor should play the game before teaching the class. Walkthroughs are available (e.g. here) online, so this shouldn’t take too long. The activity can be used in many languages because the game itself is language neutral. Try it out and let me know what you think! If you know of any other good games, please let me know!